Dielectric ceramic composition and multilayer electronic component

ABSTRACT

A dielectric ceramic composition for high frequencies of Patent Document 1 has a firing temperature of as high as 1350° C. to 1400° C. and is unsuitable for use as a material for multilayer capacitors because of its excessively high firing temperature. A multilayer capacitor of Patent Document 2 requires a complicated time-consuming manufacturing process and may cause a structural defect due to a difference between the coefficients of thermal shrinkage of an adhesive layer and a ceramic layer, thereby causing difficulty in miniaturization and multilayering of a multilayer ceramic capacitor.  
     A dielectric ceramic composition of the present invention is represented by the general formula, Mg x SiO 2+x +aSr y TiO 2+y , wherein x, y and a satisfy the relations of 1.70≦x≦1.99, 0.98≦y≦1.02, and 0.05≦a≦0.40, respectively.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a dielectric ceramic composition and amultilayer electronic component, and specifically to a dielectricceramic composition and a multilayer electronic component which can besuitably used for temperature compensation.

BACKGROUND ART

Known examples of this type of conventional dielectric ceramiccomposition include a dielectric ceramic composition for highfrequencies proposed by the applicant of the present invention in PatentDocument 1. The dielectric ceramic composition includes a ceramiccomposition represented by the general formula xMgO-ySiO₂ (wherein x andy represents the percent by weight of respective elements and satisfy40≦x≦85, 15≦y≦60, and x+y=100) and one or both of a material (Ba source)converted to a barium oxide by sintering and a material (Sr source)converted to a strontium oxide by sintering. The Ba source and the Srsource are added at a total content of 0.3 to 3.0% by weight in terms ofBaCO₃ and SrCO₃.

Patent Document 2 discloses a multilayer ceramic capacitor including twoor more types of ceramic dielectric layers having different dielectriccharacteristics. In the multilayer ceramic capacitor, dielectric layersand conductor layers are alternately laminated, and the conductor layeris disposed on at least one of the surfaces of each dielectric layer. Inaddition, a glass material paste layer is formed over the entire surfaceof each dielectric layer, including the conductor layer, to form anadhesive layer including the glass material paste layer and theconductor layer. The conductor layer of the adhesive layer is used forforming a predetermined pattern, and a ceramic thin sheet is bonded toone or both of the glass material paste layer and the conductor layer.The conductor layers are composed of a conductor paste or conductiveadhesive, and the dielectric layers are formed by laminating at leastone each of two or more dielectric ceramic thin sheets separately formedand having different dielectric characteristics.

Patent Document 3 discloses a dielectric ceramic composition for highfrequencies composed of forsterite, zinc titanate, and calcium titanate.The dielectric ceramic composition has a composition represented by thegeneral formula xMg₂SiO₄-yZn₂TiO₄-zCaTiO₃ (wherein x, y, and z are shownby mol % and satisfy 21<x<88, 4<y<71, 4≦z≦14, and x+y+z=100).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3446249

Patent Document 2: Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No.6-48666

Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2004-131320

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

The dielectric ceramic composition for high frequencies of PatentDocument 1 can be sintered at a lower temperature than that ofconventional forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) and has a high Q factor and highdielectric constant. Therefore, the composition can be preferably usedas a material for, for example, circuit element substrates used in themicrowave band, such as microwave integrated circuits, and dielectricresonator supports. However, the composition has a firing temperature ofas high as 1350° C. to 1400° C. and still has a problem in use as amultilayer capacitor material because of its high firing temperature.

The multilayer ceramic capacitor of Patent Document 2 is produced bylaminating, through adhesive layers, two or more types of dielectricceramic thin sheets having different dielectric characteristics, forexample, dielectric ceramic thin sheets having positive and negativetemperature coefficients. The dielectric ceramic thin sheets havingdifferent dielectric characteristics are separately produced and bondedtogether with an adhesive including a glass material paste and aconductor paste to produce a laminate, followed by firing. Therefore,the process for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor iscomplicated and takes much time. In addition, a structural defect mayoccur due to a difference between the thermal shrinkage coefficients ofthe ceramic layers and the adhesive layers each including the glassmaterial paste and the conductor paste, thereby causing the problem ofdifficulty in realizing miniaturization and multilayering of a ceramiccapacitor.

In the dielectric ceramic composition for high frequencies described inPatent Document 3, the dielectric constant can be controlled in a rangeof 8 to 20, the product Q×f₀ of resonance frequency f₀ and Q factor ishigh, and the absolute value of the temperature coefficient τ_(f) of theresonance frequency f₀ is 30 ppm/° C. or less and can be easilycontrolled. However, the firing temperature is as high as 1300° C. to1500° C., and CaTiO₃, used as a material having negative temperaturecharacteristics, has a negative gradient of as low as −1500 ppm/° C.Therefore, in order to achieve a temperature characteristic of 0 ppm/°C., a large amount of CaTiO₃ must be added, resulting in the problem ofincreasing the dielectric constant to 16 at 0 ppm/° C.

The present invention has been achieved for solving the above-mentionedproblems, and an object is to provide a dielectric ceramic compositionand a multilayer electronic component which permit firing at a lowertemperature than that of conventional forsterite, controlable topredetermined dielectric constant temperature characteristics, andmultilayerable without causing a structural defect in designing alow-capacity, small, multilayer electronic component, and which arecapable of decreasing the equivalent series resistance, suppressingvariation in capacitance, and satisfying the JIS standardcharacteristics including CG to CK, LG to LK, PG to PK, RG to RK, SH toSK, TH to TK, UH to UK, and SL properties (abbreviated to “CG to SLproperties” hereinafter).

Means for Solving the Problems

A dielectric ceramic composition according to claim 1 of the presentinvention is represented by the general formula,Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)+aSr_(y)TiO_(2+y), wherein x, y and a satisfy therelations of 1.70≦x≦1.99, 0.98≦y≦1.02, and 0.05≦a≦0.40, respectively.

A multilayer electronic component according to claim 2 of the presentinvention includes a laminate of a plurality of dielectric ceramiclayers, internal electrodes disposed between the respective dielectricceramic layers, and external electrodes electrically connected to theinternal electrodes. The dielectric ceramic layers are formed using thedielectric ceramic composition according to claim 1.

In other words, the dielectric ceramic composition of the presentinvention is represented by the general formula,Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)+aSr_(y)TiO_(2+y). This dielectric ceramic composition isbasically formed by adding a predetermined amount of strontium titanate(SrTiO₃) having negative temperature characteristics to forsterite(Mg₂SiO₄) having positive temperature characteristics, a low dielectricconstant, and excellent high-frequency properties to produce a mixedcrystal of forsterite and strontium titanate so that the dielectricconstant can be decreased, the temperature characteristics can be easilycontrolled, and a desired temperature coefficient can be obtained. As aresult, it is possible to obtain a dielectric ceramic composition havingtemperature characteristics in a wide range from the JIS standard CG toSL characteristics required for temperature compensation applications.Therefore, the dielectric ceramic composition of the present inventionis suitable for use in manufacturing multilayer electronic componentssuch as a low-capacity ceramic capacitor for temperature compensationand the like.

In the dielectric ceramic composition of the present invention, theSr_(y)TiO_(2+y) molar ratio a (=Sr_(y)TiO_(2+y)/Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)) toMg_(x)SiO_(2+x) satisfies the relation of 0.05≦a≦0.40. Since thetemperature coefficient of capacitance TCC continuously varies to theminus side as the content a of the strontium titanate added increases,the temperature coefficient can be controlled to a desired value bycontrolling the value of a. Namely, when the value of a satisfies therange of the present invention, a dielectric ceramic compositionsatisfying the temperature characteristics in a wide range from the JISstandard CG to SL characteristics can be obtained. When the value of ais less than 0.05, the temperature characteristics of forsteritedominate, and thus the temperature characteristics may not be improved.In addition, when the value of a exceeds 0.4, the rate of change incapacitance with temperature is excessively increased negatively, andthe dielectric constant εr may be increased. However, in applications inwhich the temperature characteristics must be more negative than the SLcharacteristics, the value of a is controlled to 0.40 or more in orderto realize such temperature characteristics.

In the dielectric ceramic composition of the present invention, x in thegeneral formula satisfies the relation 1.70≦x≦1.99. As described above,the sintering temperature of conventional forsterite is as high as 1350°C. to 1400° C. However, in the dielectric ceramic composition of thepresent invention, the ratio (Mg/Sr=x) of Mg to Sr is controlled in theabove-described range, and strontium titanate is further added tosignificantly improve sinterability. Therefore, the ceramic compositioncan be sufficiently sintered at about 1100° C. to 1300° C. which islower than that of conventional forsterite-type dielectric ceramiccompositions without using a sintering aid such as low-melting-pointglass or the like. However, when x is less than 1.70, a Mg₂SiO₄ phaseand a SrTiO₃ phase are not produced, and the temperature characteristicsrequired for, for example, multilayer electronic components fortemperature compensation, may not be improved. Furthermore, when xexceeds 1.99, the sintering temperature of the dielectric ceramiccomposition cannot be decreased, and the dielectric ceramic compositionmay not be sintered in a low temperature range of up to about 1300° C.which does not adversely affect internal electrodes of multilayerelectronic components, for example, in forming the internal electrodesusing an Ag—Pd alloy, Pd, or the like.

Furthermore, in the dielectric ceramic composition of the presentinvention, y in the above-described general formula satisfies therelation 0.98≦y≦1.02. The temperature characteristics can be stabilizedand controlled to target temperature characteristics by controlling theSr ratio (Sr/Ti=y) to Ti of strontium titanate. In the presentinvention, the above-described range of y is satisfied so that thetemperature characteristics can be stabilized in a wide range from theJIS standard CG characteristics (temperature coefficient of capacitanceTCC=0±30 ppm/° C. or less) to the SL characteristics (temperaturecoefficient of capacitance TCC=+350 to −1000 ppm/° C. or less). When yis less than 0.98 or exceeds 1.02, a Mg₂SiO₄ phase and a SrTiO₃ phaseare not stably produced, and thus the temperature characteristics maynot be improved.

In the multilayer electronic component of the present invention,therefore, the dielectric ceramic layers are formed using the dielectricceramic composition of the present invention. By using the dielectricceramic composition of the present invention for forming the dielectricceramic layers of the multilayer electronic component, firing can beperformed at a lower temperature, of about 1100° C. to 1300° C., thanthat for conventional forsterite without using a sintering aid, and theresulting multilayer electronic component of the present invention has alow dielectric constant and flattened temperature characteristics. Whenthe dielectric ceramic composition of the present invention is used forthe multilayer electronic component of the present invention, the numberof the stacked dielectric ceramic layers can be increased because thedielectric ceramic composition of the present invention has a lowdielectric constant, thereby achieving the multilayer electroniccomponent with a low equivalent series resistance and small variation incapacitance.

The internal electrodes constituting the multilayer electronic componentof the present invention are formed using a conductive material which iscapable of forming the internal electrodes at the firing temperature ofthe dielectric ceramic composition of the present invention. Theconductive material for the internal electrodes is not particularlylimited, and generally-known conductive materials, such as palladium(Pd) and palladium-silver (Pd—Ag) alloys are preferably used. Since, asdescribed above, firing can be performed at a low temperature of up to1300° C., neither breakage in the internal electrodes nor structuraldefects occurs in forming the multilayer electronic component even usingAg/Pd or Pd for the internal electrodes. The external electrodesconstituting the multilayer electronic component are formed using agenerally known conductive material. Unlike for the internal electrodes,the conductive material for the external electrodes is not limited withrespect to firing, but a conductive material according to the internalelectrodes is preferably used. Advantage of the Invention According toclaims 1 and 2 of the present invention, there is provided a dielectricceramic composition and a multilayer electronic component which permitfiring at a lower temperature than that of conventional forsterite,control to predetermined dielectric temperature characteristics, andmultilayering without structural defects in designing a small,low-capacity multilayer electronic component, and which are capable ofdecreasing equivalent series resistance, suppressing variation incapacitance, and satisfying the characteristics in a range from CG to SLcharacteristics required for temperature compensation capacitors.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described on the basis of an embodimentshown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing amultilayer electronic component according to the embodiment of thepresent invention.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a multilayer electronic component(specifically, a multilayer ceramic capacitor) 1 according to theembodiment includes a laminate 4 including a plurality of stackeddielectric ceramic layers 2, and a plurality of first and secondinternal electrodes 3A and 3B disposed between the respective dielectricceramic layers 2. Furthermore, first and second external electrodes 5Aand 5B are formed at both end surfaces of the laminate 4 so as to beelectrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes 3Aand 3B, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, each of the first internal electrodes 3A is extendedfrom one of the ends (the left end in the drawing) of the correspondingdielectric ceramic layer 2 to the vicinity of the other end (the rightend), and each of the second internal electrodes 3B is extended from theright end of the corresponding dielectric ceramic layer 2 to thevicinity of the left end. The first and second internal electrodes 3Aand 3B are formed using, for example, a Pd—Ag alloy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a multilayer electroniccomponent according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first external electrode 5A is electricallyconnected to the first internal electrodes 3A in the laminate 4, and thesecond external electrode 5B is electrically connected to the secondinternal electrodes 3B in the laminate 4. The first and second externalelectrodes 5A and 5B are formed using, for example, an Ag—Pd alloy.Furthermore, generally known first plating layers 6A and 6B and secondplating layers 7A and 7B are successively provided on the surfaces ofthe first and second external electrodes 5A and 5B, respectively.

EXAMPLES

Next, the present invention will be described on the basis of anexample. In this example, a plurality of dielectric ceramic compositionsshown in Table 1 was prepared according to the procedures describedbelow, and multilayer ceramic capacitors were prepared using therespective dielectric ceramic compositions. Next, the resultingmultilayer ceramic capacitors were evaluated. The results are shown inTable 1. In Table 1, samples outside the range of the present inventionare marked with *.

(1) Preparation of Dielectric Ceramic Composition

First, high-purity MgO, SiO₂, SrCO₃, and TiO₂ were prepared as startingraw materials and weighed to prepare the compositions of sample Nos. 1to 18 shown in Table 1. The raw materials of each of the samples werewet-mixed and ground using a ball mill to prepare a slurry. Then, theslurry of each sample was dried by evaporation and temporarily fired inair at 1000° C. for 2 hours. Next, the temporarily fired powders weredry-ground to obtain dielectric ceramic compositions.

A dielectric ceramic composition may be prepared by a method other thanthe above-mentioned method as follows: First, MgO and SiO₂ are mixed andground, and the resultant mixture is temporarily fired to synthesizeforsterite. Next, SrCO₃ and TiO₂ are mixed and ground, and the resultantmixture is temporarily fired to synthesize SrTiO₃. The synthesizedforsterite and SrTiO₃ are mixed with MgCO₃ for controlling the Mg/Simolar ratio to prepare a dielectric ceramic composition having eachcomposition shown in Table 1.

Samples Nos. 1 to 9 are dielectric ceramic compositions prepared formeasuring the influence of the content a of strontium titanate bychanging the Sr_(y)TiO_(2+y) molar ratio to Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)(=Sr_(y)TiO_(2+y)/Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)) from the range of the presentinvention to a value (a=0.04 to 0.42) outside the range of the presentinvention at the Mg/Si (=x) and Sr/Ti (=y) ratios set to 1.90 and 1.00,respectively, within the range of the present invention.

Samples Nos. 10 to 14 are dielectric ceramic compositions prepared formeasuring the influence of x by changing the Mg/Si (=x) ratio from therange of the present invention to a value (x=1.60 to 2.00) outside therange of the present invention at the content a of strontium titanateand y set to 0.10 and 1.00, respectively, within the range of thepresent invention.

Samples Nos. 15 to 18 are dielectric ceramic compositions prepared formeasuring the influence of y by changing the ratio y from the range ofthe present invention to a value (y=0.97 to 1.03) outside the range ofthe present invention at the content a and y set to 0.10 and 1.90,respectively, within the range of the present invention.

The dielectric ceramic compositions prepared as described above have nosignificant effect on electric characteristics even when containing CaO,BaO, ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, B₂O₃, or the like.

(2) Preparation of Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor

Each of the dielectric ceramic compositions prepared in (1) was weighed,and predetermined additives, a polyvinyl butyral binder, and an organicsolvent such as ethanol were added to the composition. The resultantmixture was wet-mixed using a ball mill to prepare a ceramic slurry.

Thereafter, the ceramic slurry was formed into a ceramic green sheet bya doctor blade method, and a conductive paste containing Pd as a maincomponent was applied onto the ceramic green sheet by printing. Theceramic green sheets were stacked so that the resultant multilayerceramic capacitor contained ten effective layers, pressure-bondedtogether, and then cut into chip dimensions to obtain a ceramic greenlaminate.

Next, the resultant ceramic green laminate was heated in air at 350° C.to remove the binder, heated in air to 1200° C. at a heating rate of 50°C./min, and fired at this temperature for 10 minutes to prepare sampleNos. 1 to 6, 9, 10, and 13 to 18. The other sample Nos. 7, 8, 11, and 12were prepared by heating the ceramic green laminates to 1100° C. andthen firing at this temperature for 2 hours. Although the heating ratemay be 5° C./min such as generally found in firing conditions formultilayer ceramic capacitors, a heating rate of as high as 50° C./mincan improve the insulation resistance of a multilayer ceramic capacitor.Each of the thus-prepared multilayer ceramic capacitors had chipdimensions of 2.0 mm×1.2 mm×1.2 mm and an element thickness of 5 μm.After the firing, first and second external electrodes were formed, andthen plating was performed in two steps on the surfaces of the externalelectrodes to form first and second plating layers, thereby preparingevaluation sample Nos. 1 to 18.

(3) Characteristic Evaluation of Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor

For each of sample Nos. 1 to 18, capacitance and Q factor were measuredat 25° C., 1 MHz, and 1 V using a LCR meter (4284A manufactured by HPCorporation), and dielectric constants εr were calculated on the basisof the measured values, the electrode area, and the element thickness.The results are shown in Table 1. For each of the samples, capacitancewas measured using a capacitance temperature characteristic measuringdevice, and the temperature coefficient of capacitance TCC of eachsample was calculated according to the equation below. The results arealso shown in Table 1.TCC [ppm/° C.]={(C ₈₅ −C ₂₀)/C ₂₀}×{1/(85−20)}×10⁶C₂₀: capacitance at 20° C.C₈₅: capacitance at 85° C.

TABLE 1 Composition Characteristics Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x) + Temp-aSr_(y)TiO_(2+y) erature Mg/ Sr/ Q TCC character- Sample SrTiO₃ Si Ti 1ppm/ istic No. a x y εr MHz ° C. standard * No. 1 0.04 1.90 1.00 7 2970100 — No. 2 0.05 1.90 1.00 8 2780 25 CG No. 3 0.10 1.90 1.00 10 2450 −20CG No. 4 0.15 1.90 1.00 12 2220 −55 CH No. 5 0.20 1.90 1.00 14 2010 −315SH No. 6 0.25 1.90 1.00 16 1920 −485 TH No. 7 0.35 1.90 1.00 18 1750−785 UJ No. 8 0.40 1.90 1.00 22 1650 −995 SL * No. 9 0.42 1.90 1.00 261510 −1120 — * No. 10 0.10 1.60 1.00 8 2350 115 — No. 11 0.10 1.70 1.009 2450 60 CH No. 12 0.10 1.97 1.00 10 2500 −25 CG No. 13 0.10 1.99 1.0010.2 2530 −50 CH * No. 14 0.10 2.00 1.00 *1    *1 *1   *1 * No. 15 0.101.90 0.97 8 2800 100 — No. 16 0.10 1.90 0.98 9 2600 25 CG No. 17 0.101.90 1.02 10 2500 −25 CG * No. 18 0.10 1.90 1.03 9 2300 100 —*1: not sintered

The results shown in Table 1 indicate that among sample Nos. 1 to 9 formeasuring the influence of the SrTiO₃ content a relative toMg_(x)SiO_(2+x), sample Nos. 2 to 8 having a within the range0.05≦a≦0.40 of the present invention show continuous changes of thetemperature coefficient to the minus side with increases in the SrTiO₃content a. It is thus found that the temperature coefficient ofcapacitance TCC can be controlled to a desired value by controlling theSrTiO₃ content a. Therefore, the resultant dielectric ceramiccompositions have rates of change in capacitance with temperature TCCwhich satisfy the temperature characteristics in a wide range from theJIS standard CG to SL characteristics. In this case, a dielectricconstant εr of as low as 7 to 22 can be realized.

In particular, in sample Nos. 2 to 4 having a SrTiO₃ content a in therange of 0.05≦a≦0.15, it is found that the dielectric constants εr are12 or less, the temperature coefficients of capacitance TCC are 0±60ppm/° C. or less which satisfy the CG or CH characteristics, and thetemperature characteristics are satisfactorily flattened.

On the other hand, in sample No. 1 having a SrTiO₃ content a of 0.04,lower than 0.05, it is found that the rate of change in capacitance withtemperature TCC is positive large, and thus the effect of SrTiO₃addition is not observed. It is also found that the temperaturecharacteristics are not improved. In sample No. 9 having a SrTiO₃content a of 0.42, exceeding 0.40, it is found that the rate of changein capacitance with temperature TCC is a large negative, and thedielectric constant εr is also as high as 26.

The results shown in Table 1 also indicate that among sample Nos. 10 to14 for measuring the influence of Mg/Si (=x), sample Nos. 11 to 13having x in the range 1.70≦x≦1.99 of the present invention showdielectric constants εr of 22 or less and rates of change in capacitancewith temperature TCC which satisfy the CH or CG temperaturecharacteristics.

On the other hand, it is also found that sample No. 10 having x of 1.6,less than 1.70, does not stably produce a mixed crystal includingMg₂SiO₄ and SrTi₃O phases, thereby failing to improve the temperaturecharacteristics. It is further found that sample No. 14 having x of 2.0,exceeding 1.99, causes an increase in the sintering temperature and thuscannot be sintered at 1300° C. in a temperature range which causes noadverse effect on internal electrodes.

The results shown in Table 1 further indicate that among sample Nos. 15to 18 for measuring the influence of Sr/Ti (=y), sample Nos. 16 and 17having y in the range 0.98≦y≦1.02 of the present invention can besintered at about 1200° C. and have temperature characteristicsstabilized and controlled to the desired temperature characteristics,dielectric constants εr of 22 or less, and rates of change incapacitance with temperature TCC which satisfy the CG or CHcharacteristics.

On the other hand, it is further found that sample No. 10 having y of0.97, less than 0.98, has a rate of change in capacitance withtemperature TCC which does not satisfy the CG and CH characteristics,thereby failing to improve the temperature characteristics. It isfurther found that like sample No. 10, sample No. 18 having y exceeding1.02 has a rate of change in capacitance with temperature TCC which doesnot satisfy the CG and CH characteristics, thereby failing to improvethe temperature characteristics.

According to the example of the present invention, as descried above, byusing a dielectric ceramic composition represented by the generalformula Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)+aSr_(y)TiO_(2+y) wherein x, y and a satisfy therelations of 1.70≦x≦1.99, 0.98≦y≦1.02, and 0.05≦a≦0.40, respectively,for a multilayer ceramic capacitor, firing can be performed at a lowtemperature of 1100° C. to 1200° C., and a multilayer ceramic capacitorhaving a dielectric constant of as low as 22 or less and satisfying thetemperature characteristics in a wide range of the JIS standard CG to SLcharacteristics can be obtained.

Although, a multilayer ceramic capacitor was prepared in the example asa multilayer electronic component, the present invention can be appliedto the preparation of other multilayer electronic components such as aLC filter, a multilayer substrate, and the like as well as a multilayerceramic capacitor. Although a multilayer ceramic capacitor of a size of2.0 mm×1.2 mm has been described above, a smaller multilayer ceramiccapacitor of a size of, for example, 1.0 mm×0.5 mm, 0.6 mm×0.3 mm, or0.4 mm×0.2 mm, can be multilayered without causing a structural defectduring design because the dielectric constant is as low as 22 or less,thereby decreasing the equivalent series resistance and suppressingvariation in capacitance. An application in which the temperaturecharacteristics are more negative than −1000 ppm/° C. can be achieved byincreasing the SrTiO₃ content a relative to Mg₂SiO₄ to 0.40 or moreoutside the range of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be suitably applied to multilayer electroniccomponents such as a low-capacity multilayer ceramic capacitor fortemperature compensation and the like.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 multilayer ceramic capacitor-   2 dielectric ceramic layer-   3A, 3B first and second internal electrodes-   5A, 5B first and second external electrodes

1. A dielectric ceramic composition represented by the general formula,Mg_(x)SiO_(2+x)+aSr_(y)TiO_(2+y), wherein x, y and a satisfy therelations of 1.70≦x≦1.99, 0.98≦y≦1.02, and 0.05≦a≦0.40, respectively. 2.A multilayer electronic component comprising a laminate of a pluralityof dielectric ceramic layers, internal electrodes disposed betweendielectric ceramic layers, and external electrodes electricallyconnected to the internal electrodes, wherein the dielectric ceramiclayers are formed using the dielectric ceramic composition according toclaim 1.